Sponsored by

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Implementing A Small Business Social Media Strategy: Plan Your Content

As you develop your online presence, it is important to have a plan for the type of content that you will deliver to your existing and potential clients, and the frequency with which it will be delivered. You need to decide what you are going to post and when you are going to post it.

Content Categories and Types
The type of content that you deliver will be largely dependent upon your business and your goals for using social media and should be appropriate to both. Your content should be relevant and fresh, and focus on the clients rather than on your company. What do your existing and potential clients want to read about? What do they want to see? What do they want to learn? Social media is about sharing, not just advertising. Education-based marketing is usually more effective than a sales pitch. If you are viewed as an industry expert providing interesting content, you will be able to grow a loyal fan base.

Content categories are the topics that you will cover; the type of content refers to the format in which it will be delivered. For example, if you own a yoga business, your content categories might include yoga positions, yoga for health, yoga for beginners and yoga retreats. You could support these topics by using a variety of content types, including photos of yoga positions, educational articles relating to the health benefits of yoga, video announcements for upcoming events, coupons for classes and links to your Web site.

Posting Frequency
Along with establishing the categories and types of content that you want to deliver, you should determine your posting frequency. When deciding how often to post, remember that consistency is key. If your followers, fans and connections have grown to expect two educational articles each week, you don’t want to disappoint. Posting at random can make you appear unreliable and disorganized, and even the most loyal fans can lose interest. Posting on a regular schedule helps ensure that you stay on top of your social media strategy, while keeping your followers interested.

Editorial Calendar
To ensure that you cover all the topics that you intend to, and that you pay attention to all of your chosen social medial platforms, you might consider creating an editorial calendar. Writing down your schedule on an editorial calendar can help keep you organized and on track; when your goals are on paper, you are more likely to meet them.

Using a spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, you can plan out your month, outlining what, when and where you will post each day. Once your editorial calendar is on paper (or on the computer screen), you will be able ensure you’re covering your content bases. Have you provided educational content? Have you included new product images? Have you engaged your audience with a thought-provoking essay to solicit responses? Have you paid attention to all of the social media platforms that you use? If you become more active, you may decide to make a weekly or even daily calendar.

http://www.investopedia.com/university/implementing-small-business-social-media-strategy/plan-your-content.asp

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More